Explore the history of Manhattan’s Lower East Side between 1820 and today with historian Thorin Tritter as he traces wave after wave of immigrants who settled there, explaining why they came to this particular part of New York, the lives they made for themselves, and what remains of their communities today.
Events take place at the Brooklyn Historical Society, 128 Pierrepont Street (at Clinton Street). This event will be held August 21 at 2 p.m. as part of the monthly Speaker Series for Seniors sponsored by Heights and Hill Community Council. It is free and open to all seniors.
Dr. Tritter begins by looking briefly at the area before massive immigration started, then turns to the lives of the Irish and Germans who began moving into the neighborhood in the 1830s, establishing the area as a home for new Americans. He then turns to a second wave of immigrants, mostly Italians and European Jews, who arrived in the 1880s and 1890s, comparing their settlement patterns and living conditions with their predecessors in the neighborhood.
Dr. Tritter also traces the development of Chinatown, exploring the early immigration in the 1880s and the more recent arrivals since the 1980s that have reshaped the area. He concludes with a discussion about recent changes, including efforts to preserve the history and a wave of gentrification that is erasing the past.
For more, call 718-596-8789 or go to www.heightsandhill.org.
